American Football: Brady shines in 'Bledsoe Bowl' as Patriots hunt down Buffalo

Last year, the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl when their unproven young quarterback, Tom Brady, emerged from nowhere to lead his team with style, poise and maturity. Brady's chance had only arisen because New England's regular starter, Drew Bledsoe, had been injured: Bledsoe had been the heartbeat of the team for nearly a decade but Brady's emergence meant he was surplus to requirements and he was traded to Buffalo during the close-season.

Thus, when the Patriots visited the Bills on Sunday, the contest was duly dubbed the "Bledsoe Bowl". Brady entered the game in poor form, his team desperate to break out of a four-game losing streak. In contrast the Bills, energised by their new passer, have performed beyond expectation.

In the end, however, Brady stole the show, completing 23 of his 27 passes for four touchdowns as the Patriots cruised to a 38-7 victory. It was a near perfect performance from the younger man, confirming beyond doubt that the Patriots had made the right decision.

Afterwards New England's coach, Bill Belichick, who had been criticised by some for his decision to release Bledsoe, was anxious to play down the revenge factor. "There was a lot of hype but what's important for us is that we won the game," he said. "I know everybody else wants to hype the rest of the story but the important part is that we beat Buffalo in Buffalo."

Bledsoe congratulated both Brady and Belichick afterwards, and the reality is that the deal has worked out in everyone's best interests.

There was a similar reunion across the country in Northern California where Jerry Rice of the Oakland Raiders, took on the San Francisco 49ers, the team he served with distinction for 16 years. This meeting of near-neighbours was a gruelling affair and although Rice caught six passes, his team lost 23-20 in overtime. After a bright start, the Raiders have now lost four in a row and their season is threatening to disintegrate.

The hero and villain for the 49ers was their kicker, Jose Cortez, who missed two short field goals, including a simple 27-yarder as time expired. That merely served as a stay of execution for the fading Raiders, Cortez atoning in overtime by successfully converting a 23-yard kick.

The man feeling the most pressure this weekend was Dick LeBeau, the embattled head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Without a win all season, LeBeau guaranteed that his side would end their sequence of seven consecutive losses when they visited the fledgling Houston Texans.

The Texans opened the scoring with a field goal but after that it was all Cincinnati, Artrell Hawkins getting things started with a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the quarterback Jon Kitna following up with four touchdown passes. LeBeau's gamble paid off as the Bengals won in style, 38-17.

Tampa Bay's quarterback, Brad Johnson, went one better, throwing five scoring passes as his side's dormant offence finally exploded into life against the Minnesota Vikings. The 38-24 scoreline suggests that the Buccaneers, who already boast the meanest defense in the game, are now ready to mount a genuine Super Bowl challenge.

However, lurking in the wings are the St Louis Rams. The pre-season favourites lost their first five games but are now building up a timely head of steam. Their 27-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals was their third in succession, with the inspirational running back Marshall Faulk gaining over 230 yards. The Rams still have some catching up to do, but the season's pace-setters are casting anxious backwards glances.